'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald': Dumbledore isn't playing with lives

A new featurette video of “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” has been released online. Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) is the focus of the video, with Law and writer JK Rowling sharing their insights about the character.

In the video [see below] Law explained that it is a rare opportunity for him to go back and explore a character, as he becomes the man “Harry Potter” fans know and love. The trailers of the film make him appear as though he plays with other peoples’ lives, as he makes others do things for him. Rowling is well aware of this, and that’s why she had a chat with Law and told him everything she knew about the character, to make sure the actor doesn’t feel his character is a manipulative person.

Rowling explained that Dumbledore may appear to be playing with people’s lives, but that’s not who he is. The writer teased that the professor will be slightly mysterious in this film, and the audience will only get to see him through the eyes of the protagonist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne).

Redmayne’s favourite thing about the film is the exploration of the beginning of the relationship between Dumbledore and Newt. Rowling pointed out that very few people have called out the professor on his secretive behaviour, with things like withholding information, and Newt appears to be one of the people who will call him out on that.

Dumbledore has good reason to hide things because he has a dark past. Rowling revealed that in the past Dumbledore flirted with the ideology of Grindelwald (Johnny Depp). The two characters were in a relationship when they were younger, and Rowling revealed that as a teenager Dumbledore received a wound from which he never recovered.

Law said that his character feels he can rectify a wrong that he helped create. However, Rowling teased that Dumbledore’s advice falls on deaf ears.